Join us for Blend Conference in Charlotte, NC on September 11-13. Blend Conference is a 3-day generalist conference with a diverse speaker lineup and a no-device policy. We’ll feature 60+ speakers covering topics in 8 workshops, 4 keynotes, and 48 sessions. The emphasis is on diversity and personal connections with industry leaders. One such industry leader is Scott Hanselman. On Friday, Scott will be presenting one of the conference keynotes and one session. There’s a lot to choose from whether you’re interested in user experience, design, front-end and/or back-end development.

Keynotes

We are excited to announce that the 4 keynotes will be:

Scott Hanselman, Microsoft

Mike Monteiro, Mule Design

Jennifer Pahlka, Code for America

Kimberly Bryant, Black Girls Code

Workshops

We have 4 great workshops that are focused on development. Workshops will be given by:

Sass with Claudina Sarahe

Web Components with Micheal Labriola & Michelle Yaiser

Enterprise Rails & Angular with Adam Hunter

Microsoft Azure Hands On with Mark Wilson

Sessions

There are 48 sessions to choose from across 4 tracks – User Experience, Design, Front-End and/or Back-End Development. We have some amazing speakers presenting on development.

Overall it’s going to be a blast and we hope to see you there. If you need more convincing, read what Creative Loafing and the CBJ have to say about Blend Conference. Managers, send your employees! Developers, don’t miss out! To learn more and to register, please visit the event website at 2014.blendconf.com. To save 10%, use Discount Code “shanselman”.

Calling all Middle and High School students to attend Cyber Saturday on September 13th! We have a cool hands-on session planned for you. IT-oLogy is also leveraging some of the Blend Conference ‘best of the best’ tech talent. Middle School students will hear from guest speaker Scott Hanselman. And our College Panel will let High School students hear about college from the people who know it best.

Middle School

Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Speaker: Scott Hanselman, Community Architect – Web Platform and Tools at Microsoft. “I’m a teacher. I speak all over to whoever will listen. I’ve written code that you’ve used. I code, write, speak, empower, promote, braid, learn & listen”

Session A: Persistence of Vision (PoV) Rocket Badge! Build a PoV display in the shape of a rocket. You will earn how to solder electrical components to a circuit board. After the session, go to a website to customize the displayed message.

Session B: Code for America (Charlotte Team) Learn how you can become a part of the solution. The Code for America team in the City of Charlotte is working to increase citizen engagement with access to relevant and accurate information.

High School

Time: 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

College Panel: Hear from college students in the field of technology. What’s cool? Why did they choose it? What do they plan on doing after school? Do you have to have a college degree? Plus your questions answered!

Session A: Persistence of Vision (PoV) Rocket Badge! Build a PoV display in the shape of a rocket. You will earn how to solder electrical components to a circuit board. After the session, go to a website to customize the displayed message.

Session B: Code for America (Charlotte Team) Learn how you can become a part of the solution. The Code for America team in the City of Charlotte is working to increase citizen engagement with access to relevant and accurate information.

Cyber Saturday is a free monthly program run by IT-oLogy partners where students can learn more about IT. These creative sessions cover a variety of IT topics including hands-on activities as well as presentations from IT professionals. The content covered on a particular Cyber Saturday rotates each month. The goal of this program is to give students the opportunity to explore and experience technology in new ways, learn about careers in technology, and inspire students to continue to learn through critical thinking so that they increase their skills in STEM.

For information about Middle and High School IT-oLogy Cyber Saturday, contact Kay Read, kay.read@it-ology.org.

Meetup Location

About

The Enterprise Developers Guild is an independently run, volunteer user group that meets monthly to discuss and share information on a variety of Microsoft-centric technology topics. We offer an excellent way to receive a technical education and meet with peers to get more out of the latest Microsoft platforms, products, technologies, and resources.

The Guild meets the fourth Tuesday of every month, except December, at the Microsoft Office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Free guest parking is available in designated spots at the front of the buildings. Meetings are from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Food and drinks are free courtesy of our meeting host.